All Saints Day
Readings
Apocalypse 7:2-4,9-14
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12a

Reflection
Happy feast of all Saints day!
Last week for my Friday night youth group we did the topic of “The Catholic History of Halloween”. Watching the kids faces in shock and intrigue over the rich history these three days have. The kids loved it! It wasn’t our usual youth group topic and they had so many questions. I bought a plastic skull from a $2 shop and explained the idea of Memento mori: “Remember you will die”.
We explained to the kids that the Catholic attitude to death isn’t that of fear or repression but preparation and hope.
Today, we think about all those amazing men and women, recognised and unrecognised, who are crowned as saints in heaven. Those men and women who truly have lived out their lives in preparation for death. Including that of our favourite St Paul of the Cross.
This weekend is a great chance for us to reflect on our own lives. What is the legacy we’re going to leave behind? Are we prepared for death? How can we better surrender to God’s will in our lives?
Claire O’Donohue is a current Oxley Passionist Youth Retreat Team member. While also in her final year of university, she is completing her bachelor’s degree with a major in visual art and theology.